Phase I Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program: Future STEM Teachers in South Texas (F(ST)2)

Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville TX

Investigators

Abstract

High school mathematics and science are the teaching areas that have persisted among the most critical shortage areas in Texas, consistent with the national challenge of recruiting and retaining qualified mathematics and science teachers. Future STEM Teachers in South Texas (F(ST)2), a Phase I project funded by the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, is focused on encouraging talented undergraduate students at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK), Del Mar College, South Texas College, and Texas State Technical College majoring in Computer Science, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Geoscience, and Physics to become certified secondary STEM teachers at high-need schools in Kingsville Independent School District (ISD), Corpus Christi ISD, and Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD in South Texas. The project will recruit individuals with strong STEM backgrounds into teaching and build the infrastructure for supporting new STEM teachers in high-need secondary schools. The project will provide students from underrepresented groups with rigorous STEM experiences and strengthen partnerships with community colleges for STEM education. Therefore, a direct benefit to society will be to bridge the gap that persists within communities that serve students underrepresented in STEM disciplines. Hispanic high school students in South Texas ultimately will be the beneficiaries. This Phase I Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship project will provide scholarships for 24 talented STEM major students to recruit and prepare them to be effective STEM teachers in high-need schools. This includes transfer students from community colleges as well as students who are native to TAMUK. Internships will draw talented TAMUK and partner community college students into stimulating STEM activities at a STEM-focused summer camp. Activities will include tutoring, peer instruction, and research in STEM disciplines and education. Noyce Scholars will attend seminars given by the education and STEM faculty who are members of the project team, participate in pre-professional activities with intensive teaching field experiences in high-need school districts and be mentored by STEM faculty and veteran high school teachers. A supportive infrastructure for new STEM teachers will support and retain Noyce Scholars in their first two years of teaching in high-need schools. The TAMUK Phase I Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program will enhance the university's existing Educator Preparation Program that prepares certified teachers in Mathematics, Science, and Technology Applications. Using aggressive marketing, scholarships, and summer internships the program will attract talented students to major in STEM areas and pursue careers in teaching STEM courses at high-need secondary schools. The program will focus on modeling best practices in program development through authentically collaborative relationships among the high-need secondary schools, the partner community colleges, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Education and Human Performance, and the College of Engineering at TAMUK. Findings and best practices of this project will be disseminated through research and scholarly publications and presentations at professional conferences. The program will serve as a model for many other four-year universities and community colleges collaborations for STEM teacher education. Outcome measures will include teacher recruitment and retention rates. Teacher effectiveness will be measured by impact on student achievement, using comparison studies and a time series analysis.